The Purple Cloth
by DaringDinkyDo
Summary: The Professor knows quite a bit about his girls, and has few regrets. He's raised them well, giving them love and attention. But even he realizes that they're hiding something big. Two years after the incident, he finally has what he needs to set things right. First written posted fic, rather than a comic. I do hope you enjoy, leave reviews. T rated due to Butch attempts to swear.
1. Prologue: The Purple Cloth

Prologue: The Purple Cloth

The Professor was a smart man. Sure, not the best at reading dating cues, or flirting, or anything to do with women. But he was smart. And he knew his girls, the only humans- er, super humans, that he could read like a book. He trusted his girls, he created them after all, and raised them. They each had their own little slip ups, Buttercup more so than the other two. The past two years had been eventful, and he knew of nearly everything his daughters had done.

However, there was one thing that eluded him.

And that was the purple cloth.

Two years ago on May 26, the Professor left for a convention.

Later that day he returned in a panic to find his girls injured, sitting in their room staring blankly at a scrap of cloth.

A purple, burnt, torn scrap of cloth.


	2. Chapter 1: A Second Chance

CHAPTER 1: SECOND CHANCE

Townsville! A bustling city, filled to the brim with cheery souls. All protected by three little girls, just over their seventh birthday. Cheerful, bright girls, always up and about, ready to save the day at a moment's notice. And there they are now! In their room, playing with their precious little toys. Just look at Buttercup go!

"ICAN'TFINDITICAN'TFINDIT!"

"B-Buttercup! Calm down, it can't have gone far. Just take a deep breath, come on, breath with me."

Bubbles frowns, watching her sisters fly above her, Blossom zooming about to minimize the damage done by their green loving sibling.

"Blossoms right Buttercup! It can't be far, besides, it's not like anyone would steal it… would they?"

The green blur pauses, revealing a pj'd Buttercup, her bedhead worse than usual. She hovers in the air, as still as a stone.

"..."

Blossom flies up, gently placing a hand on Buttercups shoulder.

"Deep breaths, we'll find it. She'll have her place, maybe it just fell behind the bookcase."

"Y-Yeah.. maybe.. maybe it's just behind the bookcase.."

"Me and Octi will look! C'mon Octi, let's find it!"

With a gentle push, the heavy bookcase falls over on it's side, revealing nothing but Buttercups missing baseball cards. Staring for a moment, Bubbles squeezes Octi tighter. Tears well up in her eyes, her lip trembling.

Blossom quickly goes and hugs the shaking blue puff, gently stroking her hair.

"Shhh.. shh… it's.. it'll be okay…"

"LIKE HECK LEADER GIRL!" An angry Buttercup glares at her pink eyed sister, she herself barely holding back tears.

"WE'VE FAILED HER AGAIN!"

Blossom frowns and gently floats up, eye level with her sister.

"We have not failed her again, we will find it. I swear on my position as leader of the Powerpuffs."

-0-

"It's really not here.." Blossom stares into space, her sisters freaking out around her.

"Where could it be…"

A gentle knock sounds at their bedroom door, before it creaks open, a concerned Professor peering in.

"Girls..? I know I wasn't here to wake you up, but that's no reason to be so upset-"

As soon as he said that, a green streak grabs his shirt and lifts him up.

"NO REASON?! IT'S GONE PROFESSOR IT'S GONE!"

"Buttercup, what are you..?"

Blossom quickly flies up, covering Buttercups mouth. "N-Nothing Professor. What time is it?"

The Professor peers at his watch.  
"Ten o'clock, far too late for me to be preparing breakfast. How about a late brunch? I may have a surprise for you girls."

Bubbles peers out from under the bed.

"Is it a good surprise..?"

He gives a gentle smile.

"I believe you girls will be well pleased with it. Now come on, it's something I worked on all day and night yesterday, up until this morning."

Buttercup, already free of her sister's attempt at quieting her, stomps.

"I don't care about some dumb surprise! It's gone and we can't find it!"

The smile still in place, he crouches down to her level, not nearly as low as when they were first created.

"How about we talk about this over brunch hm? Maybe I could help you find whatever it is you're looking for. And after that, we can fix the new hole you've created in your floor."

She looks down and blushes. "Uh.. sorry Professor… I didn't mean it this time.."

Blossom sighs, flying after the now retreating Professor. Bubbles carefully crawls out from under the bed, floating over to Buttercup.

"Don't worry Buttercup, I'll help you fix it." She skips off, not as bouncy as she usually was, hopping down the stairs to the kitchen.

"...I don't care about the dumb floor, I just wanna find her.."

-0-

Brunch was silent, despite multiple attempts by the Professor to begin conversation. This was unusual for a Saturday, since his girls were normally so full of energy and life. He could only hope his surprise would grab their attention and break them out of this, whatever this was. The same thing had happened the previous year, on the same date.

The anniversary of the Purple Cloth. That's what he decided to call it. After that first day, he never pressed about the events that transpired while he was gone.

As for whatever the girls had lost, he could only hope it wasn't a snake again. That was a messy trip to the hospital… Poor Bubbles had thought he was dying, she shattered every glass window in town with her wails.

Speaking of which, she wasn't eating. In fact, none of his girls were.

"Girls, please eat. The faster you eat, the sooner I can show you the surprise."

This catches their attention, but not for long as they stare at their plates and sigh. He frowns.

"Three spoonfuls each, then we can go down to the lab."

Blossom looks at her sisters, then back at the food.

"He's right, we need to eat something, just the three spoonfuls, okay Buttercup?"

Buttercup grumbles and nods, slowly eating her spoonfuls, while Bubbles was already done and anxiously waiting. She needed something to distract her from the tragedy that the day represented, and a surprise the Professor made for them was certainly going to help.

Buttercup couldn't believe how calm her sisters were. They'd lost their last piece of her, and all they could focus on was some dumb surprise the Professor had for them. It was probably just a lame gadget again, like the stupid robot cat he got them after the villain cat incident. That was nearly as big of a disaster as the actual cat was…

Bah! Thinking about that was a stupid idea too. Dumb cat, actually fooled her with its _cuteness._ Hmph. One more spoonful, then she'd get to see the Professor's latest disappointment. Then they could get back to what the day _really_ meant.

"There you go Buttercup. Now, I believe you all will be pleased with this. "

The Professor stands up and walks to the basement door, reinforced with countless security measures, most of them specifically so Mojo and his boys couldn't get in. There were far too many dangerous items in there, things that could hurt the girls if in the wrong hands.

Several vats full of the components for Antidote X, needed for administering medicine to the girls. He hated to see them as weak as they were when doped up on it, but it was needed for him to be able to give them shots and vaccinations, and occasionally rebreak a broken bone that healed wrong. Those were the times he dreaded the most, seeing his darlings in pain.

That's why he prepared a surprise on this day, the day of the purple cloth. He had certainly noticed the girl's grief, it was hard not to. The regret and despair in their eyes, only the most hardened of souls could ignore that.

"Hurry it up Professor, I got a thing to search for."

The ever present smile on his face widened.

"I think you'll have a bit of extra help finding it after today. Come along girls, the surprise is in the infirmary."

Bubbles bounces a bit.

"Is it another squirrel Professor? Like Bullet?"

"No Bubbles. It's more of a… Rabbit."

The girls exchanged confused glances, as the side door to the medical room opened.

-0-

Blossom stares at the small figure on the bed, mouth agape. It really couldn't be, but who else…?

"P-Professor-"

He gently shushed her.

"Now, I know how much you wanted to hide this from me. It took ages to get the security tapes, since mine were destroyed, and the Mayor was held under a 'vow' of secrecy."

Buttercup frowned and floated up, hovering over the sleeping child.

"Whaddaya mean? Who's this?"

"I'm not surprised you don't recognize her. It took quite some time to stabilize her, and even I am surprised at her resulting appearance."

Bubbles hops onto the bed, tears in her eyes.

"I-is it really..?"

"Two years ago on this day, you girls were exhausted. Not thinking entirely clearly I'm sure, and certainly not ready to deal with the Mayors pickles. In your exasperation you decided to create a fourth, to lighten the load."

As Buttercups eyes widen, Blossom whips her head around to gaze at the Professor.

"How… How did you find out about all that?!"

With a gentle chuckle he responds.

"You did a great job covering your tracks Blossom, in an attempt to hide your mistake in her creation. However, there was one slip up you didn't count on, one variable outside your control. And that was the Mayors guilt. It didn't take long for me to get it out of him, especially after I had the security footage from in town. I'm slightly disappointed in you girls for not telling me yourselves, but I can understand your hesitation. You snuck into my lab after all-"

He was interrupted by a sobbing blue ball leaping up to hug him.

"Imsorryimsorry!"

"Shh, it's alright. It's alright, I forgive you."

Buttercup lowers herself down onto the bed.

"Does she remember us…?"

"I don't know, I was waiting for you girls to see her before I woke her up. The stabilization process was.. Not the most pleasant."

Blossom pauses in stroking the girls hair.

"Then let's get her upstairs and into bed. It will be better for her to be in that environment than down here, she is stable, right?"

He nods, his smile wide and proud.

"Multiple tests have shown me that she's stable enough to be moved. She should wake up soon after she's off the oxygen and anesthesia."

-0-

Fifteen minutes later, the slightly larger family circles around their newest member, anxiously awaiting her awakening. Slowly, but surely, purple eyes blink open, taking in the world around them. Bubbles leans in close, worry etched into her features.

"Bunny? Are you awake? Are you okay? Can we get you anything-"

Blossom puts a hand on Bubbles shoulder, gently pulling her back.

"Calm down, we shouldn't rush her. Think of it like… Waking up Buttercup after a hard battle. She's still on the painkillers, and probably doesn't know who we are or where she is.."

Buttercup huffs, folding her arms.

"S'not my fault the Professor mixed a bit of Antidote X in. Stupid meds, making me act stupid-"

The timid girl sits up, opening her mouth just a tad, and squeaking out one word.

"Sis….ters?"

They all pause, the Professor hanging back to allow the reunion between the girls and their creation. In that moment, Bubbles squeals and hugs Bunny, flying up close to the ceiling.

"You're okay you're okay! Now we can have tea parties and coloring time and cartoon time and-"

"Bubbles, put her down, you're scaring her!"

Bubbles flushes and sets her down, apologizing to the shaking child.

"Okay Bunny, do you remember us? Buttercup c'mon, she needs to see you too."

Buttercup slowly comes up from her crouched position, allowing Bunny to study her. The purple eyed puff frowns, forehead furrowed in concentration.

"Sis-ters…"

She looks at Blossom first, taking in the perfect pink bow that remained unchanged since the day of her 'birth'.

"Bl…. Bloss… Blossom…"

The girl in question gives an encouraging nod, satisfying Bunny. She turns to look at Buttercup, nervously standing at the foot of the bed, green meeting purple.

"Butter… Buttercup?"

She gets a small smile and a bashful nod, finally turning to the one who had startled her.

"Bub… Bubbles."

She says it with conviction, clapping when she gets the confirming nod. A collective sigh of relief fills the room, followed by an awkward silence.

One broken by none other than the Professor, kneeling down by the bed.

"It's very nice to meet you Bunny. I'm the Professor, creator and father of the Powerpuff girls."

Bunny shrinks back a bit, leaning towards Bubbles. She was… Uncertain about this strange man, whom her sisters seemed comfortable with. Despite that, her curious nature got the best of her as she sounded out the new word with her tiny tongue.

"Fa- fahder. Fahder!"

Bubbles cheers and gently hugs her, keeping Blossoms words in mind.

"That's right Bunny, he's our father! He brought you back and stabilized you so you're not gonna explode!"

Bunny looks at her, a bit confused, and slowly hugs her back.


	3. Chapter 2: Townsville Tour Terminated

CHAPTER 2: TOWNSVILLE TOUR TERMINATED

An hour after her awakening, Bunny sat on her eldest sister's back, taking in the view from the clouds. Bubbles floated to the side, excitedly pointing out different landmarks, ones Bunny hadn't gotten to see the first time she flew.

"And that's Mojo the meanies lair, he built it on top of a volcano! Blossom says he can use the thermal energy to power everything, but I think he's just there cuz no one else wanted to be."

She continues her rant, Blossom occasionally correcting some of the 'facts' she spouted out in her excitement. Buttercup was nowhere to be seen, having stayed behind to fix the hole in the floor. She'd be joining them soon, so long as she didn't cause any more damage than she already had.

Blossom places a hand on Bubbles shoulder, catching her attention.

"Let's give her a closer look, rather than ramble about it all day."

Bubbles squeals.

"That's a great idea Blossom! Let's show her the kindergarten first, that's where she'll be going soon!"

Not giving her pink eyed sister a chance to catch up, Bubbles shoots off towards Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. Blossom sighs with a smile, flying a tad bit slower than the blue Puff.

"Sorry about that Bunny, she gets easily excited and forgets sometimes. She's the fastest of us after all, the only person in the world who could keep up with her is Boomer, and I'm sure you'll meet him and his brothers soon."

With that they land outside the kindergarten, Ms. Keane speaking with the excited Bubbles.

"Ms. Keane!"

Said woman turns to Blossom with a smile.

"It's great to see you Blossom! And who's this little one hm?"

Bunny hides behind Blossoms long hair, peering out at Ms. Keane, studying her bright blue eyes.

"This is Bunny. She's really shy, but hopefully she'll be coming to school here soon!"

Bubbles gives her an encouraging nod, but Bunny just shrinks back more, uncertain.

"It's okay Bunny! She's really nice and a great teacher!"

It was too late, Bunny was almost completely covered by Blossoms hair. The only bit to be seen were her shaking hands, clinging to her sister's shoulders. Bubbles sighs.

"Sorry about that Ms. Keane, she woke up not very long ago, and everything's still confusing."

"That's quite alright, she's not the first shy child I've met, kind of reminds me of you girls your first day."

Blossom smiles.

"Thank you for understanding. We should probably hold off on introducing her to the Mayor for a bit…"

"With how eccentric he is, that would be wise."

With a wave and a goodbye, the two puffs take off yet again for a fly about, showing Bunny the sights and ignoring the curious civilians. They could introduce Bunny to the city later, when she was ready.

For now, they flew around the city, keeping some startling findings of the Professor in mind.

"She doesn't appear to have powers like you girls," he said. "Despite Chemical X in her system."

Though it was disappointing to know she couldn't join them in crime fighting, it was also a relief in a way. Bunny had been originally created as a way to lighten the load, the girls having been too young to understand that they had created a new person, and not just an assistant or workhorse.

Through her death, and other experiences in the following years, they'd realized that their unstable creation had been their responsibility.

One they should have taken better care of.

Now, with her back, they were more than ready to make up for lost time.

If only the day could have continued as peacefully as it was.

-0-

"So not fair…"

Buttercup grumbled, glaring at the hole in the floor, wishing she could intimidate it into fixing itself. The damage had been worse than the Professor had first thought, and needed an electrician to repair the wires. Luckily none of the pipes were hit.

And she was stuck waiting for that! She could be out, racing with her sisters, showing Bunny the skate park and the dump and her other favorites spots. Stupid Professor, insisting she not touch the wires. She's been thrown into telephone pole wires plenty of times! She knew what electrocution felt like.

Stuck listening to the laughter and giggles and screams of joy…

"Right up here, thank you so much for coming on short notice."

Finally! Electric dude was here.

"Not a problem Professor. But why isn't Blossom doing this? She came by to learn a couple months ago…"

Hmph, figures. Leader Girl loved learning things and helping fix Buttercups mistakes. Two birds with one stupid electric stone.

"She's busy at the moment, I'm sure it will be on the news soon enough. Right up here in the girls room, just by the door."

"Ah, and you've turned off the power?"

"To this area, yes. Buttercup, pay attention. You might be able to do this yourself next time."

The pouting girl perks up.

"Y'mean it? You'll trust me with this?!"

"Of course Buttercup. You're just as capable as your sister. Plus, I know that if Blossom tried to teach you, we may not have a house at all."

The repairman chuckles and gets to work, showing the black haired girl how to splice wires together.

"AIEEEEEE!"

A shrill shriek pierces the air, forcing everyone in a mile's radius to cover their bleeding ears.

Everyone but Buttercup.

"Bubbles!" She zooms out, breaking a hole in the ceiling, covering her father and the shocked repairman in debris.

He sighs with a frown.

"Could have sworn we got her out of that habit… You might be here a while longer. Would you like some tea?"

-0-

The disappearance of Bunny from Blossoms back was terrifying. The mystery of her location was quickly solved when a low, not quite to puberty voice chuckled.

"Well well well. What have we here boys?"

A lighter giggle mixed with a cackle follows, Blossom and Bubbles glaring up towards their equals.

"Brick, give our sister back. _Now."_

He raises a red eyebrow in surprise, lifting the shaking bundle in his hand.

"This… Tiny _thing…._ Is a Puff? It's shakin' worse than Blue when we cornered her alone a few weeks ago."

Blossom flies up to eye level.

"Yes, she is. Now hand her over unharmed, and there will be no trouble."

A smirk comes to Bricks face.

"Y'hear that boys? _Unharmed."_

Boomer giggles and flies backwards.

"I'm open I'm open!"

A small squeak from Bubbles and a gasp from Blossom, staring in shock as their little sister was thrown towards Boomer like a football.

"AIEEEEE!"

Blossom acts quickly, aiming to intercept the unwilling projectile, only to be tackled by Butch, leaving a smoking crater in the ground.

Bunny clings to Boomer, staring down at her injured sister with fear.

"Butch! You next!"

Boomer pries her off, tossing her gently towards the rough ruff right as Bubbles regains her senses and tackles him.

Shaking off the concrete dust, Blossom flies back up to the deranged game of catch.

"What's wrong Pinkie?" Brick easily catches the whimpering child.

"We ain't _hurtin'_ her! Just having a lil fun!"

"I swear to our creators Brick, if you don't hand her back this instant, I'm going to-"

"Gonna what Pinkie?"

He gets up in her face, grinning as Boomer once again catches Bunny.

"Gonna sit there like the sissy you are? You don't _dare_ try anything while we got this brat. I can see it in your eyes…"

Blossom gulps, averting her gaze.

"Knew it. Fortunately for you, I'm willing to make a simple deal. Don't fight back, an' we'll put her down. Easy as that."

"B-Brick?"

"Shush Boom, I'm wheelin' and dealin' with Pinky."

"But Brick…"

"Not. Now. Butch, fix the babies problem."

"Nu uh! I'm not holding the sobbing brat, Boom can keep that."

Brick groans.

"Just don't drop 'er, a hostage is useless dead."

Hearing that, Bunny clings tighter to Boomers sweater. She didn't know what death was exactly, but she remembered it hurting, a lot.

"Now Pinky… Surrender without a fight and we stop throwing the purple puke ball. Easy enough-"

Boomers girly shriek fills the air as he's struck out of the sky, his precious bundle safe in the arms of Buttercup.

"Boom! Crap, plan b boys! Use the stuff!"

Butch licks his lips and grabs something from his pocket as his brothers do the same.

"Didn't come quietly… Big brained won't mind you idiots a bit beat up for his birthday- where'd they go?!"

A few skyscrapers away, a loving reunion was taking place.

"How the he- er, heck did they get their hands on Bunny!"

Blossom frown deepens.

"They caught us off guard. He had Boomer snatch her from my back before we saw them."

She turns to the still shaking Bunny, held tightly in Bubbles embrace.

"Bunny, you need to stay here okay? Stay hidden while we take care of them."

The purple puff sniffles and nods, wiping her reddened eyes.

"Formation alpha, corner and control. Take 'em down girls, then we can get back to showing Bunny the actually _good_ things the world has."

Nodding in unison, the puffs zoom off to face their rivals.

"First things first, figure out why they attacked. They don't usually attack without a reason these days, regardless of apparent weaknesses in our ranks- ouch!"

Blossom winces, holding her upper arm and pausing.

"Buttercup, that wasn't funny!"

"Wasn't me leader girl!"

Buttercup zooms back to her leader, Bubbles close behind.

"If it wasn't you, then.."

Two more yelps and winces.

"Sh- crap, Bloss, there wasn't any stupid nanobot junk happening today, right?"

"That was once Buttercup, and even then it wasn't planned… Oh dear…"

Bubbles grabs a hold of her falling sister, struggling to pull her back up to her previous spot.

"Blossom, you're losing altit- alti…"

"Altitude Bubbles, Bloss you look… Oh… That's why…"

They watch with growing horror as Blossom pales, Buttercup and Bubbles soon following.

"Like it sissys? Diluted Antidote X, giving you just enough power to stay afloat and scream while we kick your butts."

Within moments, each girl was slammed into the ground by their respective counterpart. Butch cackles, pounding Buttercup over and over as she weakly attempts to shield her face.

"Cheating…. Little…"

Her words were cut off by a surprise punch to the neck.

Bubbles wasn't faring any better. Already fainted as Boomer hit her back and forth with his electric bat. Boomer counted his lucky stars that the injection worked.

"How beat up do we want them again?"

Brick looks up from choking Blossom.

"Enough for Pops to be able to land a finishing blow."

Boomer frowns and shrugs, letting his target fall to the earth.

"If you say so…"

-0-

Bunny stared in horror as her sisters were thrashed. It was all too similar to her death, just before it. She.. She couldn't just sit and watch… She couldn't…

Her hands grip the edge of the roof, slowly cracking it as rage pooled in her belly. How dare they.. How dare they try to take what she just got back, what she died saving! Her eyes flashed purple, the slight snaggletooth growing as her back hunched.

How. Dare. They.

-0-

"Aight, that's enough. Can't have 'em bleed out just yet.."

The boys float up, studying their handiwork. Each girl was black and blue, barely recognizable.

"Perfect. Grab and g-"

A loud boom shakes the earth around them, drawing their attention to the source. Butch whistles.

"Looks like lil sis became big sis…"

Stomping towards them, leaving footprints in her wake, an enraged Bunny snarls. The boys take a subconscious step back, her unrelenting gaze awakening a primal fear within them.

"B-boss…"

Brick shakes his head, trying to rid himself of his nervousness.

"Grab the puffs and go- where'd ugly..?"

A roar echoes from behind them, pushing them down to their backs.

"S***!"

Brick winces, shrapnel scratching his face moments before he was crushed beneath a powerful mass of flesh. Butch and Boomer soon follow, each in too much shock and fear to fight back against Bunny.

"Bun….ny?"

Bubbles opens one terribly swollen eye, unfocused eyes attempting to decipher the scene in front of her. Bunny slows in her assault, turning to the slowly recovering puff.

"Bub...bles…"

She ends her attack, crawling over to her sister.

Bubbles reaches for Bunny.

"Are… You… Okay…?"

Bunny sniffles and nods, slowly shrinking back to normalcy. Behind her, the boys leave as fast as they can, heading straight for Mojos lair.


	4. Chapter 3: Ruff Beginnings

CHAPTER 3: RUFF BEGINNINGS

"That was complete ****!"

Butch curses as Boomer wraps his broken arm with plaster.

"How come they get the Hulk and we don't got nothin'?!"

Across the room, already patched up, Brick paces. The arrival of a new puff was certainly unexpected. He had thought that the girl on Blossoms back had been someone from the stupid 'Make a Wish' thing. Wouldn't be the first time.

"Don't whine Butch, we just gotta get Pops something else for his birthday, since the destruction of the Puffs is off the table…"

Boomer hums a bit, cleaning a gash on Butch's head.

"Well… If they have another Puff… why don't we make another one of us?"

Butch stares blankly at Boomer.

"Boomer, that's a really s-"

Brick cuts him off.

"A splendid idea. Fight fire with fire.. Now how did our old man make us?"

Butch snorts.

"Snips and snails and puppy dog tails. He mumbles about it in his sleep."

With a blink, Boomer tilts his head.

"What are snips- ow! What was that for?!"

Brick holds the tuft of stolen hair in front of Boomer.

"This. This is snips. Snips of hair. I think Mojo has some mutant snails in his lab. I can grab the X there too."

His signature red streak vanishes around the corner.

Butch groans.

"Great Boom, you got his brain goin'!"

-0-

A singsong voice fills the countryside.

"Snips and snails and puppy dog tails~ that's what I'm made of! Brick sent me on a mission a mission a mission! He sent me on a mission to find a bad*** dog!"

Far below him, a trembling bald and scarred dog anxiously barks at his blind mistress. Oh why was the loud master out? He could prevent her treacherous journey across the road.

"That one!"

A blue blur surrounds him, swiftly yanking off his tail while placing his mistress back onto her rocking chair.

"Bye bye Mister Courage! Sorry about your tail!"

-0-

Meanwhile, the Professor treated his girl's injuries with injections of chemical X. Bunny anxiously watches from the side, cheeks caked with dried tears.

"I'm so sorry this had to happen on your first day back with us Bunny. The boys haven't done this aggressive of an attack in over a year, I can't fathom why they'd do one now."

Bunny sniffles, looking down at her little feet.

"M' fault…"

The Professor frowns.

"Now Bunny, this is in no way your fault. Your sisters will be fine, I promise. See, Bubbles is waking up now."

With a twitch and a groan, Bubbles opens her baby blue eyes.

"Bunny… Is Bunny.."

Bunny climbs up into the bed, quickly grabbing onto her sisters not as bruised hand.

"Here, Bubbles. I here!"

Bubbles smiles weakly.

"Good… I was scared… That we failed you again… That you left again…"

"I no leave."

Bunny clings to her arm, cuddling to her side.

-0-

"Boom, did you raid a corpse? There's no way that thing was on a living dog."

Butch glares at Boomer with his arms crossed.

"It was! His name is Courage and-"

A hand taking the tail interrupts him.

"Great job Boom. You can fangirl over the dog this came from later."

Brick stands over a pot in Mojos poorly guarded lab, holding the ingredients.

"Snips and snails and puppy dog tails… Perfect. Stand back, I dunno what'll happen after I add the X."

Boomer zooms behind Butch, peering out at the stewing pot.

Snips, glowing snails, and a scarred pink tail from a dear old dog. Each is plopped into the base mix, a slight hesitation before Brick adds the X.

The mushroom cloud could be seen for miles outside of town.

-0-

"Did you hear that?"

Blossom looks up at the ceiling, frowning.

"No duh leader girl. Freaking woke me up. Where's Bubs and Bun-Bun?"

Butch coughs, ridding his throat of the dust and smoke that filled it. Mojos lab was ruined, covered in soot. The top of the observatory was blown clean off, jagged edges lining the smoky sky.

"Holy crap Boss… Did it work…?"

A disgruntled but otherwise unaffected Brick stands up, brushing dirt off of him.

"It better have, if not Pops is gonna kill us, surprise trip to the spa or not…"

Boomer pokes his head out from behind the scorched couch.

"We're sending him to the spa?"

Butch deadpans.

"No Boomer. He's already at the spa. How else would we keep him outta the way while we prep the Puffs?"

His mouth makes a little o, then frowns.

"But we don't have the girls…."

Something shifts in the pile of muck left over from the crude concoction. A tiny hand pokes out, feeling around for something.

"Er, worry about that later Boom. Boss, I think we made a muck monster."

Brick snorts and walks up to the pile, grabbing onto the hand and lifting the dirty form of a child from within. He wipes it's face, revealing two closed eyes and a scrunched up nose.

"Oi, quit squirming. We ain't gonna hurt ya, you're one of us now. What's your name?"

One eye slowly opens, then the other. A blank stare seems to gaze beyond Brick.

"Boss… He don't got no pupils."

Brick scowls at Butch.

"I can see that, dumb***."

-0-

One bath later, the small child sat on the floor, unfocused eyes half closed. He wore a bandana on his head, keeping his scruffy brown hair out of his face.

"We got one thing right boss, he's the Hulks counter. No other reason for 'im to be purple."

Brick sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"Butch, just put his clothes on him. He can't see to do it himself."

"What?! Why can't Boomer?! Or better yet, you?!"

"I put his boxers on. Booms fixing the ceiling and cleaning up the soot. He lost Rock Paper Scissors remember?"

Butch grumbles under his breath, kicking the dryer.

"Stupid cleaning machine… Stupid Boomer… Stupid Brick…"

"Would you rather be the one to figure out how to tell Pops we wrecked his lab again? I'll gladly pass the torch to you."

Butch tenses up.

"Fine fine you win! Just let his stupid clothes finish drying first."

The near naked child smiles, head turned towards the poor beaten dryer. The rough one was over there, grumbling under his breath. The soft one was zooming around in the next room, the gentle sound of rushing air soothing on his ears. As for the warm one…

He wobbles on his feet, trying to copy the footsteps he had heard pacing nearby. He frowns, irritated that he couldn't mimic their ferocity.

Brick blinks and turns to the stumbling boy, holding up his hands.

"Whoa there, no need to try walkin' just yet. Gotta get your clothes first. And your name… Ya still haven't said anything."

The boy continues his stumbles, quickly ending up in Brick's arms.

"Easy no-name, easy. Man, if ya don't tell us your name soon we're gonna hafta make one for you…"

Butch snorts.

"Maybe he's mute too. Probably end up a freaking weakness."

A blonde head pokes into the room.

"Did I miss his first steps…? Dang it! Finished a bit too late.."

"Boom, did you patch the ceiling up with _cardboard_ again?"

"Um, maybe…?"

Brick groans.

"Remember last time you did that? With the stupid storm?"

"But I painted it this time! It looks just like the ceiling!"

"Boom, go steal the proper materials and actually fix the roof."

Boomer sighs, zipping off again.

The dryer finishes with a beep, the door slammed open and the clothes quickly shoved on the poor blind boys head. Brick sighs yet again, kneeling down to help the boy adjust his clothes.

"You know Butch, that's not how you dress someone."

"An' how would you know that?"

He looks at his green brother with a smirk.  
"Remember that one incident, where you-"

Butch turns red.

"Don't you freaking dare. How was I supposed to know Mojo was crazy enough to make an age reduction potion?!"

His elder brother chuckles, picking up the new purple Ruff.

"That was an amusing, but nasty week. You were adorable as a baby, but gross. Even more so than now."

-0-

Bunny moans, holding her stomach. She didn't feel so good, her belly ached, her head hurt, her feet felt like… feet but still.

Humming, Bubbles continued her drawing, unaware of her sister's pain. Her injuries were nearly healed, the largest bruises slowly fading courtesy of Chemical X.

"There you are!"

Buttercup hobbles up the stairs to the living room, Blossom supporting her from behind.

"We were worried for a bit- er, Bunny, you feeling alright..?"

She shakes her head, gripping her stomach tighter. The eldest pushes past Buttercup, rushing towards Bunny and feeling her forehead.

"You have a fever… Bubbles didn't you notice?!"

Bubbles continues her humming, seeming to ignore the world around her.

"Bloss, she has those stupid earbuds in. You know how she deals with the pain.."

Buttercup folds her arms, glaring at the offending object. With a flash of red the cord was vaporized, catching Bubbles attention.

"Buttercup! I just got those…"

"Who gives a crap? Something's wrong with Bunny!"

Bubbles eyes widen, her head whipping towards the whimpering Bunny held in Blossoms lap.

"PROFESSOR!"

-0-

First authors note! I'm glad that the few who are following this story are enjoying it. I kinda wish I had it in me currently to make enormous chapters like my favorite fics have, but sadly I'm too impatient for that. This is the shortest chapter so far, and I mean actual chapter. The prologue doesn't really count. I hope you continue to enjoy it! However, we're nearly caught up to where the end of my current writing is, so updates will be a bit slower.

I have bigger plans than you would think.

See you soon! I do enjoy commentation on my work. Any kind of comment you have, give!


	5. Chapter 4: Instability

CHAPTER 4: INSTABILITY

"Let me get this straight. That is to say, allow me to situate the given information coherently. As in, permit me to align-"

"We get it Pops! We get it, get to the point…"

Mojo frowns at the black haired child.

"You will not speak to me, Mojo Jojo that way! I was nearly finished. You three boys went against my wishes to stay home and play video games to prepare a birthday present for tomorrow, correct?"

Brick nods.

"Yeah. Was gonna be the Puffs, but they got away due to a freaking behemoth."

The monkey- er, ape, raises an eyebrow.

"A monster from the isle assisted them? Helped them?"

A blonde head shakes vigorously.

"Nu uh! It was a girl!"

"A large female child pounded you, my boys, into the ground?"

Butch grumbles.

"Not our fault she was the freaking hulk…"

"They acquired a female gamma irradiated child?"

"NO!"

The unified shout shakes the observatory, waking the hours old Ruff. He floats out of the bed, towards the arguing family, rubbing his sightless eyes.

"They made another stinky stuff girl and pretended that she didn't have powers then had her POUND us!"

The boy bumps into the wall a few times before floating through the doorway.

"I, Mojo Jojo, do not see what this has to do with the state of my laboratory."

Boomer bounces up and down.

"Everything! See, we-"

Butch quickly covers his brothers mouth.

"It's a birthday surprise dang it!"

"Then you boys are out of luck. For not only do I, Mojo Jojo, not want a destroyed lab as a present, my birthday is not until November."

The boys stare at him with dropped jaws.

"Not… Till… Then?"

Brick groans.

"Then this was pointless…"

Mojo raises both eyebrows, looking behind the red Ruff, who was lamenting the pointlessness of the day.

"Boys, I was not aware you brought a friend over. One who can float..?"

Boomer grins and grabs the small ruff in a hug.

"Nooooope! This is our backup present! Meet uh… Uh… Did he tell us his name yet?"

With a shake of his head Brick retrieves the sleepy Ruff.

"Nope, I think we gotta name him. Doesn't make much sense since we named ourselves, but whatever. Hmm…"

Mojo steps forwards and studies the half opened eyes.

"The boy is blind, odd… So this is the reason that my laboratory is in disrepair? The birth of another son?"

Butch snorts and folds his arms.

"Yeah, he is the reason. It was Booms idea anyways…"

"Hey! Bricks the one who went through with it!"

A slight smile on his green face, the ape holds his arms out. Brick willingly places the half asleep child in Mojos arms.

"He seems a sweet boy… He has not spoken you say?"

"Nope. A bit weird if you ask me."

"It is odd, considering you boys. Of course, this is all together odd. Boys! Quit your arguing, your new brother is attempting to sleep!"

The two middle children quiet, watching their younger sibling yawn and snuggle in Mojos furry arms.

"A few simple tests ought to tell us more about him. Nothing dangerous I assure you."

-0-

"This may hurt a bit Bunny, but don't worry. It'll make you feel better okay? Buttercup, hold her down gently."

Bubbles watches anxiously as the thrashing Bunny was secured on the hospital bed, biting her nails. The confirmation that the vision of the original Bunny she had seen wasn't a dream put her on edge.

Blossom was on the other side of the room, reading instructions and processing data.

"She's averaging out Professor."

He nods and injects a bit more liquid into Bunny's veins.

"Keep an eye on that. If she goes above a hundred, she's in danger of completely destabilizing. Dying once is bad enough, we don't want her to die again."

Bubbles sniffles, hugging herself. Bunny was so close to exploding again, they were so close to losing her…

"Bubbles! I need you to prep the oxygen. Hurry!"

In a bright blue flash Bubbles was by the bed, holding the oxygen mask.

"Ready Professor!"

He secures it over Bunny's face, giving a sigh.

"Blossom, still average?"

"Down a little, closer to normal. Is she going to be okay?"

He smiles at her.

"She will. She needs some rest, and it would be best to limit her to the backyard. She over exerted herself fighting the boys."

A collective sigh of relief fills the room.

"Professor, what did she do?"

He frowns.

"It would appear that her powers are currently… Emotion based. When they're triggered, she's more vulnerable to destabilizing."

Blossom rubs her chin thoughtfully, turning to the numbers.

"You really didn't expect this, did you…"

"I did, just not so soon. Nor did I expect her powers to be a symptom of destabilization… A relapse was inevitable."

"What do you mean, inevitable?!"

Buttercup glares at her father, floating up to his eye level.

"Buttercup, Bunny's very form is unstable. Changing her base is difficult, let alone making sure those changes stay. She's a bit of a wild card…"

"Then fix her already! You're the genius!"

"Buttercup, enough. The Professor didn't mean for this to happen. If anything, it's our fault she's in pain."

"Our fault?! Why I oughta.."

Bubbles sniffles, wiping her eyes.

"She's right Buttercup… We made her wrong, the Professors just cleaning up our mess.."

The green puff pauses, then floats to the ground.

"... Yeah… Guess that's right…"

"Now girls, it's not entirely your fault either. I take a part of the blame, both for not being there for you when she first came to be, and for being overconfident in my own abilities to keep her stable."

They all look at each other, and Bubbles starts to giggle.

"What are you laughing at you big baby?!"

"N-nothing just… Just glad… Glad she's okay…."

The giggling becomes contagious, and everyone in the room began laughing and smiling in relief. The youngest would be fine.

-0-

"Boomer, if you do not get out of the way of the light, then I cannot study the slide properly. Do not force me to have your brothers remove you."

Boomer pouts, floating away from Mojos enormous microscope and back to his brothers. Brick was holding the sleeping Ruff, a cute bandaid on his upper arm from the blood sample taken.

"What's he gonna learn from the little guys blood anyways?"

"Probably some crap about white blood cell count… Maybe even figure out why the little dudes blind. What do you think boss?"

Brick rolls his eyes.

"Pops ain't concerned about white blood cells. He's looking for chemical X concentration, and how much using Booms hair and radioactive snails affected him."

"What about the tail?"

"Hard to get that part wrong Boom. Though the age might affect him a bit…"

"Mister Courage is kinda old…"

"Cease your prattling! I cannot focus like this! Shoo, shoo!"

Brick motions for his brothers to follow him back to the bedroom.

"Aight Pops, we'll tuck 'im back in bed."

Mojo grumbles, shooing them away. He, Mojo Jojo, has very important work to do!

With a gentle push, the nameless Ruff was tucked into bed. Butch frowns, studying the sleeping face.

"Did we ever look like that…?"

Boomer hums a bit, zooming off to find Mojos scrapbook.

"Is he… Getting what I think he's getting?"

-0-

"She's waking up again!"

Light purple eyes slowly open to an odd scene, at least to her. Blossom was on the other side of the room, speaking in hushed whispers with the Professor. A small plastic… Cup with tubes connected to it was on her face, the air flowing through it soothing.

"Bunny, are you feeling better?"

Bubbles hovers over her, blue eyes filled with worry. The puff in question nods, moving to sit up.

"No no, you still need to rest!"

She gently pushes Bunny back down, sitting by her head.

"Blossom and the Professor are making you some painkillers, and a pretty bracelet to tell us when you're destabilizing."

Bunny frowns, confused. Weren't her sisters the ones in the beds? Bubbles still had some bandages and fading bruises, and she could still see a cast on Blossoms leg. But Buttercup…

"Where Buttercup…?"

The blue puffs face brightens and she giggles.

"Well, after you finished stabilizing, she went back upstairs to fix the floor and the ceiling with Mister Electricity man. She burst through the ceiling to come save you earlier!"

She puts her arms up, waving them with a large smile on her face.

"Bubbles, you can grab that story book now. She'll be able to appreciate it now that she's awake."

Blues eyes widen with a squeal, and Bubbles is off for 'The Fluffy Bunny'.

-0-

"Oh Boss no you didn't!"

Boomer giggles, cooing over pictures of a baby Butch dressed in various outfits.

"I did. Think of it as payback for having to change your diapers since Pops was still in the hospital from the latest Puff beating."

"Ooo! You're dressed as a hedgehog in this one! It goes so well with your hair…"

-0-

Welcome back to Townsville. But please, be quiet. Our three little girls are exhausted from yesterday. After that beating they took, anyone would be.

Oh? What's this? A small lump squirms through the covers towards our heroines, her tiny hand reaching up to grab onto whatever she could.

"Buttercup… Stop it… Buttercup…!"

Blossom fumbles, pausing when the hand on her ear wasn't in fact, Buttercups. Two wide purple eyes peer from beneath the covers. The tiny girl scoots up more, wrapping her arms around Blossoms arm.

With a smile, she's lifted up and held to the pink Puffs chest.

"Not just a dream…"

-0-

"Girls! Girls, breakfast is ready!"

Blossom slowly opens her eyes, hugging a warm bundle to her chest. Her sisters rub their sleepy eyes, fumbling out of bed towards the bathroom.

"Mm… I had the weirdest dream last night…"

Buttercup mumbles, brushing her teeth.

"Bunny was back, and she was tiny, like a mouse…"

Dragging a brush through her hair, Bubbles nods.

"That was my dream too… She was so tiny…"

A small smile on her face, the pink Puff floats up. A tiny yawn comes from the pile of blankets, brown hair poking out the side.

"You know Buttercup, Bubbles, you could take a moment and look under the covers."

"Why would we do that Leader Girl? Did you find Bubs snake?"

Blossom shakes her head.

"Even better than that, plus she released it outside ages ago."

Bubbles bites her lip with a nervous laugh.

"Hehe.. Yeah… Outside…"

A small head pops out of the covers, tiny hands rubbing purple eyes.

"Bubbles… Where did you put the snake?"

"N-nowhere!"

Buttercup waves her toothbrush in her younger sister's face.

"You better not have put it in my rat cage Bubbles! I spent forever on those!"

"You mean you tortured the poor things! They're traumatized!"

Gentle hands pick up the sleepy child, floating her over to the arguing siblings.

"You're going to have to get used to this Bunny, they do this every morning."

The two pause, turning to look at their elder sister.

"Bunny..?"

Bubbles squeals and grabs onto Bunny and Blossom, squeezing them both.

"YAYITWASNTADREAM!"

The green puff reluctantly joins the group hug.

"Yeah, I knew that…"

"Girls, breakfast!"

-0-

"Ah ha! I, Mojo Jojo, have created the perfect breakfast!"

He, Mojo Jojo, steps back to admire his culinary creation. Omelets dyed in his boys signature colors, along with a new, dark purple one.

"BOYS! I HAVE ACHIEVED CULINARY PERFECTION! COME, FEAST!"

"Quit yellin' Pops! We've been at the crummy table for like twenty minutes!"

Brick rolls his eyes, adjusting the still sleepy boy in his arms.

"You mean you've been at the table for twenty minutes Butch. Booms been helping me dress this one."

The green Ruff huffs, tapping his fork impatiently.

"Whatever. I'm hungry!"

A blonde head pops up next to him.

"When aren't you hungry?"

"When I'm full idiot!"

"Full of what? You're always full of hot air, so shouldn't you never be hungry?"

Butch glares at his redhead brother as he sets the sleepyhead in a chair.

"No you idiot!

"You need a better insult."

"Then how about-"

"SILENCE! QUIET! CALM! There will be no crude language, potty mouths, or swearing at my table!"

All three boys go silent, staring at the table. The fourth and smallest ruff sitting confused, head tilted with a frown.

"Much better. Now, feast my children!"

-0-

Seven follows, better than I had expected honestly. Sorry for taking months to post this update, writing brain went bleh for a while. I'll try and get Chapter five out asap, I just need to refine it.

Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 5: Bullcrap

CHAPTER 5: BULLCRAP

"Pro-fess-or!"

A round of applause fills the dining room, Bunny smiling proudly. After almost a hundred tries, she'd pronounced it right!

"Great job Bunny!" Blossom smiles at her, the pink cast gone from her leg. Two days after the incident and many hours spent teaching Bunny the finer points of speech, she could almost speak in complete sentences.

Bunny hops on her seat, her silly smile on her face. It was almost a shame that the Professor hadn't been able to fix her tooth constantly sticking out of her mouth. But that was on the back burner.

More importantly was the small bracelet on Bunnys wrist. Needing only a few tweaks, the device monitored her Chemical X levels, vital signs, and brain activity. Each of the other three had similar ones, wirelessly connected to the purple one. The moment she begins destabilizing, the Professor and the girls would be notified and guided to her location.

As school was less than a month away from being out anyways, Bunny was spared the stress of being pushed into a class so soon after her revival. Unfortunately, this also meant long hours without the girls there, as they still had school. They missed enough with almost daily battles, and the few days that the Professor had gotten to spend with his girls were cut short by a conference. One that Bunny has the joy to attend with him.

"Remember girls, if there's an alert, you must inform your teacher of the emergency. Alright?"

A chorus of 'Yes Professors' fills his ears, causing him to smile.

"Twenty minutes until class starts girls, don't forget your lunches."

Three streaks of color later, his girls were off to another day at school.

-0-

"Boys, where is your youngest sibling whom we have neglected to name?"

Two pairs of shoulders shrug, blue and green focused on the TV screen as they battled to the death.

"Boys.."

"Er, I think Brick was teachin' him Brazil or something."

Mojo blinks. "Brazil? Why would he require- oh yes, you mean Braille."

"Yeah whatever. Aw cmon Boom you totally cheated!"

The super genius shakes his head with a smile, leaving the middle children to their bickering. His eldest and youngest must be in the bedroom still, going over the recently delivered books. They'd come sooner than he'd thought, perhaps there was something to this 'prime' Brick had suggested.

The sound of flipping pages and hushed whispers fill his ears as the multicolored door is pushed open.

"Brick, new son, what are you up to?"

The capped kid looks up, gesturing his father over. He points to the still sleepy purple child, muttering as his tiny hands go over the pages.

"He's learning quick, just like we did once we actually got educated. I think that embarrassing graffiti is still there… He's still oddly sleepy, and hasn't given any indication to his name."

Mojo nods thoughtfully, resting his hand on his youngest's head, just above the headband keeping hair out of useless eyes.

"Perhaps a guessing game would get us some results. It is getting quite tiresome to refer to him as 'new son'."

"You're not repeating yourself pops, just went to speech therapy?"

"Indeed. Nothing drastic happened while I was gone, correct?"

"Nope, most dramatic thing to happen was Boom beating Butch at his favorite game again."

Tilting his head to get the fuzzy hand to an annoying itch, he considers the sharp ones words. He didn't mind not having a name, really. But it was troubling the rest, so he has to pick. But none of the words the warm one had taught him felt right.

"BRIIIIIIIIICK!"

The soft one screeched, and he covers his sensitive ears.

"Boom! Voice, down!"

"But Briiiick! Butch says I'm cheating and I'm not!"

"Ha! I have proof!"

The rough one zooms by, a piece of paper rustling.

"... Butch? This is a confession signed in _your_ handwriting. Try harder."

"What?! No! It's totally Booms!"

"You scratched out your name the first time you tried to sign."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did-"

"SILENCE, QUIET, SILENCIO! Boys, we have a slightly more pressing matter than Butch being terrible at Mario Kart. We must help our youngest pick his name."

"Laaaaame. It's bulls- er, bull crap. There's no way in HIMS domain I'm helping with that."

The rough ones words rang a bell. Something he was supposed to have remembered.

"Why don't we call him.. Um… Rad! Cuz he was made with radioactive snails!"

Brick rolls his eyes, bonking Boomer on the head.

"That doesn't start with B Boom. Gotta have a B."

Something to remember… Perhaps a nap would clear things up.

-0-

"Now Bunny, no wandering, no touching, and ignore the rude stares alright?"

She nods her head, clinging to the Professor's hand. She was surrounded by adults, few giving her any mind as they walked towards the entrance.

"Utonium."

The Professor halts with a frown, Bunny stumbling beside him.

"Dogma. You aren't here to harass me again, are you? Nor the ones arranging this event I should hope."

The man sneers, his oily hair slicked back neatly. His clothing was pristine, not even a fingerprint on his shiny name tag.

"Oh no, just a word of warning Utonium. A reminder of sorts. We are not witch doctors, we are men of science. Keep your creature on a leash, or risk it getting into trouble. I hear this one transforms into a behemoth."

Eyes narrowed, The Professor gently picks up Bunny, holding her close.

"My _daughter_ is not an 'it' Dogma. Nor is she a creature. What you heard is true, yes, but it's under control. She wouldn't hurt a fly."

Dogma sniffs, looking down at the shaking girl with disapproval.

"As I said Utonium. Keep it under control."

He sighs, gripping his daughter tighter, and walking around Dogma.

"Good day Dogma, I wish you well in your work. Also, I'll say it again. Regardless of my girls being entirely human, they are sentient beings. Respect that."

Bunny peers over her father's shoulder, wide eyes warily watching the angry man.

"Don't worry about him Bunny. He won't touch you…"

She raises a quizzical eyebrow at her father, the man's intentions had seemed much more pointed towards him after all. The purple puff didn't have long to dwell on it however, as they entered the first event.

-0-

Sleep was hard to come by, he found, when his siblings were arguing. The sharp one was having difficulty calming them, the warm ones voice rising at the rough and soft ones. It was far too loud for any sort of rest.

"We are not naming him Fart Face you imbecile!"

"But Brick, it's perfect!"

The rough one was insistent. But the words still didn't feel right.

"Okay okay, leggo of my ear! Yeesh old man…"

"I, Mojo Jojo, am not old, ancient, or decrepit! You, Butch Jojo, shall not speak to your father that way!"

What has the rough one said before? It began with a 'b'. He was fairly certain of that. The warm one said the name needed to start with that sound.

"Hey, what's he doing?"

The soft ones voice comes from above, startling him. The near silence of floating annoyed him.

"Diggin' his hands into the old table.. Weird."

B.

"Wait, Butch, don't stop him. "

U.

"Why not?! That's Pa's good table!"

L.

"He's writing!"

L.

Silence followed, as Bull puts his head in his hands and slips to sleep.

-0-

"Braille, that first one's a B, then a u…. Two L's. Bull."

Boomer floated upside down, confusion on his face. Butch followed, studying the dents, furrows, and piles of sawdust.

"... Boomer, Butch, why do you ignore your brothers tutoring? He's taught new son- Bull, how to read and write Braille."

"I still don't get it, where's the letters?"

Brick frowns a bit, picking up the sleeping child.

"I didn't teach him to write, he figured that on his own."

Boomer picks up the book, careful not to disturb the letters.

"Cool, look Butch! The alphabet in a language you get to feel!"

"I ain't gonna 'feel' nothin'! That's sissy talk, using 'feelings'. You sound like a Puff!"

"Do not!"

"Do to!"

"Do- do you feel that?"

-0-

"Continuing, the mutations taking place on Monster Isle, off the coast of Townsville Isle, are increasing in variety and effect. According to water samples, the contamination that began 40 years ago has spread over two miles from the shore, in a near perfect circle. Coinciding with this, the powers possessed by Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles have grown. Even with my daughters help, we have failed to get close enough to the epicenter to determine the cause. I thank you for your time, and thus end my report."

Utonium steps down from the stage, hurrying back to Bunny. He'd left her backstage, asleep in Buttercups blanket. During his hour long speech, a sinking feeling had filled him.

Approaching the small room he'd been given, the sounds of a whimpering child filled his ears. He needed to take this slow, as startling her could trigger her powers. Bunny hadn't begun destabilizing yet, so he still had time.

" _Little pig…"_

Or perhaps he didn't. His hand freezes right above the doorknob, the eerie voice filling his ears.

" _Little pig…"_

A visit from him was inevitable. But he'd never gone this far from Townsville before. Let alone follow him all the way to a conference.

" _Let me come in…"_

The knob was scalding, but he had no time to lose. A simple burn was nothing. The knob is twisted with a wince-

" _By the hair of my chinny chin chin."_

Locked. Of course it was locked. He holds his pointlessly burnt hand to his chest, his super suit was inside that room.

" _Three little pigs, turned to four. Won't you open up that door?"_

He couldn't protect Bunny from a monster like that without weapons, but he had to try. BANG. BANG. Slamming himself against the door.

" _And show me the one who came before?"_

"Utonium?! What in the world are you doing?!"

A small group rushed down the hall, Dogma's smug smile in the middle of it.

" _No? You won't open up the door?"_

Ignore them. Bunny was more important.

"Utonium, what did that door- is the knob glowing RED?!"

" _And show me the one who came before?"_

"The fire alarms aren't going off, we need to activate-"

"NO!"

Two voices. His own and another's. An older woman stands in front of him.

" _Six turned to eight."_

"This isn't a fire."

The woman was defending him. Prosthetic arms stretched across the hall.

"We don't need fire fighters for this."

" _I think you'll find that it's too late."_

"Dr. Sonders please, move aside. This clearly requires the authorities."

"I beg to differ. Utonium and I are the current authorities on this matter. Now hand me the key, I know you locked the poor dear in there."

" _To keep me from opening that gate."_

"Sonders, step aside!"

"Give me. The key. That man's daughter is in danger right now."

The door was beginning to splinter, a few more good hits should do it.

" _Even if you refuse me boy, everything will be mine soon. You'll all bow."_

Bang. Bang. His bracelet begins to beep, signaling the end of his leisure time.

"That _thing_ can't be considered anyone's 'daughter'! It's an experiment, nothing more!"

" _See you soon, at Monster Isle."_

CRASH! The door falls in, pink smoke billowing out into the hall, blinding the inhabitants.

"BUNNY!"

-0-

Finally fixed the line break problem! Now it'll be slightly less trippy.

Except that last bit.

That's supposed to be trippy.


	7. Chapter 6: Dream of You

CHAPTER 6: DREAM OF YOU

Nothing started off a school day better than a fond farewell to the Professor. The added bonus of having a small child join in was the icing on the cake; a promise of a happy home to return to. Now, the only thing standing between Buttercup and lunch was…

"Hey Butts!"

…. an annoying freckled idiot who thought it wise to get between her and food.

"Miiitch… Move."

"Nope! Tell me what happened over the weekend!"  
"No."

"C'moooooooon!"  
"MOVE. Before I make you. I'm not afraid of Ms. Keane giving me detention!"

He quickly backs up, grumbling as she snatched up her food.

"You still gotta tell meeEE-"

With one swift movement she's picked him up by his shirt collar, carrying him with her to the school courtyard.

"Yeah yeah, we gotta get to the rest of 'em first before I tell ya. Sheesh.."  
"My lunch…"  
"What do you want more, lunch, or answers?"

"...Uh…"

"Thought so."

"Wait I didn't decide yet!"

"Too late, Bloss, catch!"

"Wait, Buttercup don't!"

Another swift movement, and Mitch lands on top of Blossom.

Nothing more than a typical lunchtime at Pokey Oaks Elementary.

-0-

Brick never wanted to hear that voice again. That creepy, lilting, drawn out drawl sending shivers down his spine. Never again. His very soul felt dirty thinking about that… thing… To be associated with it, even for such a short time, to have it be the reason he's alive…

Perhaps that's one of the reasons he jumped on the idea of a fourth sibling. A sibling untouched by that nasty darkness. Someone that thing couldn't use against him.

He knew it would be too good to be true. The cloud of pink smog surrounding the sleeping boy pushed them all back, laughter filling him with a dread that only the devil Himself could induce.

"Release my son, you creature, you devil incarnate, you BEAST!"  
Compared to Him, Mojo was kind. Mojo listened. Mojo CARED. Mojo freed them from a life of serving under the Devil Himself.

And now he was trying to take the youngest.

"Noooow nooow Mojo, that's no way to speak of an old paaaartneeer..."  
"How dare you insinuate that I knowingly, willingly worked alongside an abomination such as yourself?!"  
A lilted sigh echoes in the room.

"Such strooooong words coming from a talking monkey... one that neglected to inform me of our precious new son~"  
"Our- why you-"

Brick quickly sets a hand on his fathers shoulder, glaring at the pink cloud. Mojo calms slightly. Slightly.

"What do you want with Bull, Him?"  
"I can't see my neeeeew son?"  
His grip on Mojos shoulder tightens.  
"He is NOT. Your son."

Hims face forms from the smoke, gleefully grinning down at them.  
"Oh my dear boy, thaaaaaat's not up to your discretion! You see it is up to him to make that choooooice. Just as you boys did once..."  
His face curls into a snarl.  
"Before that foooooolish monkey stooooole you away from me..."

Mojo is pushed back with a yelp, Butch catching him and tossing him at a cushioned chair. The two remaining Ruffs quickly rise to their elder brothers side, cracking their knuckles.

"We ain't yours ya freak, never have been never will be! Get yer claws offa the blind dork!"  
"Yeah! We worked hard to make him and teach him! We love him!"  
"What the blonde dork said!"

It looks at them for a moment before bursting out into laughter.  
"Looove?! What does love have to do with it?! You're just like those girls, creating new life to cover your MISTAKES."

They tense.  
"We're nothing like them, you take that back!"  
"Oh hohohoho..."  
Smoke billows around them, cutting off any escape routes.  
"You reeeeaaaally don't see it?"

Pink particles part, showing a shaking, still sleeping Bull at the desk. A claw appears, gently stroking down his spine.  
"It's not myyyy tale to tell, but the parallels are sooooo obvious..."

Red, Blue, and Green energy builds in their respective Ruff, taking aim at the claw as the rest of Him appears. He clicks his tongue.  
"Nooow now booooys, you don't want to harm the sleeping beauty. Besiiiides, I believe you'd be veeeeery interested in this tale."

Faint sounds of Mojo pounding on the smoke behind them begin, along with muted panicked yelling. Him had them trapped... and yet...

"What tale?"

That grin would never fail to be unsettling.  
"Threeee little girls, exhausted and alone, had an ideaaaaaaa..."

-0-

Being alone was fine. After waking up, she could still hear the Professors speech through the walls, behind the sound of the video she was watching. Silly puns and interesting experiments abound, hosted by a funny, tall man.

Singing along with the theme song was fun too. Er, chanting.  
"BILL BILL BILL!"

Blossom had these episodes memorized. Watching Buttercup nearly strangle her after the third one was funny, even Bubbles laughed! Apparently that happened a lot.

It ended up in a noogie contest somehow, that was fun. Bubbles won it.

A soft click nearly escapes her notice, followed by the tell tale sound of a lock being turned. That.. that was alright, right?

Yeah, it was fine. She didn't need to go out until the Professor came back anyways. She had snacks, juice, and her iPad to watch Bill Nye on. Oh, and Blankie and Octi! They'd keep her safe.

Yes, all was right with her little world. Although having her siblings present would be nice, school had to be attended. She'd see them soon enough.

That's a funny smell... she didn't recognize it, but it felt familiar.  
"Oooooh myyyyy, what do we have heeeereee?"

Shivers go down her tiny spine.  
"The loooost little sooouul that THEY stopped me from grasping..."  
That pink cloud wasn't there before... it looked soft, maybe she could touch it! Oh, what if it was cotton candy? Tiny hands grab at it, pulling some off.

"What? What are you doing?!"  
She puts it in her mouth then spits it out, ew, tasted just like it smelled. Gross. The pieces reform with eyes, glaring at her.

"Truly a wonder how stupid you are..."  
Stupid...?  
"No matter. I still have use for you. Now, SLEEP."

Some of the cloud goes right up her nose before she can react, and she passes out.

-0-

 _Dark dark pink suffocating no no not again not again she didn't want to be here again_

These thoughts weren't his. But they did help him identify the... color? He was seeing. Pink. It was uglier than the book on colors had described.

 _No no don't touch don't touch them no never never ever never_

He had to follow the trail. There was nothing else to do but put one foot in front of the other on the fluffy looking ground. If it even was ground that is, the description matched 'clouds' more closely.

 _Don't you dare don't you dare DON'T YOU DARE_

The voice presented in the thoughts was familiar. So was the smell and feel of the place, had he been here before? Perhaps. But not in body.

 _STOP STOP NO DON'T STOP PLEASE_

Closer and closer he went to the voice. It... she was in pain.

Why did he care? That was the question. He didn't know the voice.

 _Gone footsteps new scared wait purple curious confused wonder what_

Purple... was that the color she wore? His brothers had said it before in reference to him... was she purple?

"Are you purple?"  
She jumps, chains rattling. Eyes filled with liquid... water? He touches right below his own eyes to where the liquid rested on hers.

What was she doing?

 _Purple friend stranger friend stranger scared him? No no no run please run please please please_

Why would he run?  
"Weeelll welllll, welcome to my... humble aboooode..."

A claw settles on his shoulder.  
"I didn't expect yooooouuu to have suuuuuch free reeeeeeiign here, Disciple."

Disciple... it felt right, like Bull.

Yes, that is who he is.

"I didn't inteeend for you to seee her this way... only aaaafter she agreed..."

Agreed to what...?

-0-

He, Mojo Jojo had no idea what had happened. Moments before he had been enjoying time with his sons, naming the youngest.

And now his children were trapped inside a (cloud? Fog perhaps) with a being no mortal man (or ape) should ever face alone.

Frankly, he was terrified.

"Release my sons at once you unnatural being of dubious creation!"

Pounding on the substance did nothing good, simply resulting in injury. All four of his children were trapped inside.

Bzzzt. Bzzzzt.

Oh thank gods. Wait. No. That was Utoniums emergency number...

"Utonium! I regret to inform you that you are not alone, isolated, in your state of emergency! For I to am facing a situation of grave anxiety!"

Odd. No immediate voice, simply static covering the muffled sounds of arguing.

"Utonium, please respond as your lack of voice is-"

Fumbling, then loud and clear, the Professors distressed voice.

"Jojo! How did you free the boys?!"

"I- I- what?"

"My daughter, the new one- Him attacked her during the conference- she's fighting against him but I don't know-"

"Utonuim, I fear we face the same situation! My youngest- created after my boys encountering your youngest- is currently being held captive by Him along with his brothers! I cannot get beyond the barrier it constructed!"

A scream, rather girly given the Professors age, pierces his ear followed by the sound barrier breaking. Thank gods both of their phones were set to deal with such a noise.

"Bunny, BUNNY!"

"Utonium, what happened?!"

-0-

"Girls? What's wrong?"

"Miss Keane, something's wrong with Bunny!"

"How do you..?"

A holographic map is shoved in the poor woman's face, a tiny purple dot shooting across it.

"She can't fly! She can't fly and her bracelet says she's destabilizing and the Professor won't pick up! Please, please tell our teacher where we went and that it's an emergency!"

Recess was the girls favorite time of the school day. A time to spend with friends, playing games on the playground equipment. Miss Keane was currently on duty, supervising the children. She was used to the girls leaving for emergencies, although those were usually either crime or monster related, rarely a family emergency.

"I'll explain the situation to her, but please hurry back, or remember to have the Professor excuse you afterwards-"

They barely stayed long enough to hear her remind them to call, shooting off through the air in the blink of an eye. Sandra had heard the full story from John, about the little girl he brought back from the dead. Or rather, the part he hadn't told his daughters.

 _"A dream Sandra. A dream told me to bring back the missing soul! I thought it was insane. Two overlapping voices and the image of my girls clutching that piece of cloth."_

She raised an eyebrow, setting down her cup.

"John, you're not making much sense."

"I-I know. However, neither does creating life from sugar, spice, and nice things. Nor little boys from snips, snails, and puppy dog tails."

Weekly brunch. A good way to keep up with the girls lives through the Professors eyes.

 _"So you're going to follow the dream, so to speak?"_

He stared down at his coffee.

"I have nothing to lose in my investigation. These... beings, have a chance of being associated with HIM, however... I have proof that they're against him."

-0-

It didn't make sense. Between the odd environment, chained child, and literal devil whispering in his ear, he had no idea how he came to be in this situation.

But he didn't feel tired here. That was a change. And, glancing towards the grinning creature, to his advantage. All the focus was upon the one in front.

Wait, why would he attack? The creature had done him no harm, no foul. Only tortured the girl in front of him, for seemingly no reason.

He had to have a reason, right?

What was that word again?

Disciple, disciple...

Just what did that mean?


End file.
